Macomb now has a park dedicated to the community’s first Black police officer.
A ribbon cutting capped off the celebration for the completion of William H. Thorpe Memorial Park in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of East Pierce Street. The event was held on Friday, Sept. 4, which would have been Thorpe’s 93rd birthday.
He passed away in 2019.
His nephew, Carl Thorpe, came up with the idea for the park. He said the honor is well-deserved.
“He was the measure of a man. If you want to know what a real man was, if you knew Bill Thorpe, that’s what it was,” Carl said.
He said his uncle never said anything bad about anybody, and nobody ever said anything bad about him.
Another nephew, James Thorpe, said the park is on the site where Bill’s house once stood.
James made the trip down from Chicago to see his uncle honored.
“He was a shining star in the Black community,” James said.
Bill Thorpe graduated from Macomb High School and from Western Illinois University. He was in the military from 1951 to 1955, including service in the Korean War.
Thorpe joined the Macomb police department in September 1961. He served 22 years, retiring as a sergeant.
He was a deacon in his church, and helped construct the Mount Calvary Church of God in Christ building, which is just down the street from the park.
The park took around four years from conception to completion.
“Anything is possible. If you can perceive it, you can achieve it,” Carl said.
City Administrator Scott Coker credited Carl with continually pushing for the project to make sure it came to fruition.
The small, triangular park includes a story walk. Plaques posted along the sidewalk that runs through the park tell Bill Thorpe’s story.
Carl Thorpe hopes people feel peace and serenity when they visit the park.
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